The Great Mismatched Adventures of Spartoi
by CatKkit
Summary: Dr. Stein, along with several other adults at the DWMA have noticed issues of distrust among the Spartoi unit. In order to smooth out these "wrinkles", Stein has decided to split up the partnerships and match them up temporarily. What could possibly go wrong?
1. Chapter 1

**New Story!**

**This takes place after Chapter 63 of the Manga(I'm going to be an Angel).**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Stein stood in the Death Room on a Sunday night with Spirit, Marie, and Lord Death, discussing the current status of the Spartoi children.

"Well Stein? What is your verdict?" Lord Death asked.

"Well sir, the students and their individual abilities are coming along wonderfully. When they're in their two groups, they work fine with very few bumps, but when they are all together in a single group, the trust and teamwork is noticeably strained," Stein said.

"Really? I would think that my Maka would keep everything together perfectly," Spirit gushed. Lord Death sighed and smacked him on the head.

"What are the specific problems?" Lord Death asked as Marie tried to drag Spirit back to his feet.

"Well, Maka seems to have a minor academic rivalry with Ox, Killik has one with Black Star, the list goes on," Stein said, ignoring Spirits shouts on how his daughter couldn't be the problem.

"Okay then. What do you plan on doing about it, Stein?" Lord Death asked.

Stein smiled as he adjusted his glasses. "Well, I was thinking of splitting them up into new temporary partnerships with the person they have struggles with."

"Even a meister with a meister?" Spirit asked, surprised.

"Yes. They need to learn to put aside their differences and accept one another," Marie agreed. "If not, they could run into unforseen problems on a mission that could lead to deadly consequences."

"Thank you Marie," Stein acknowledged, thankful for his current partner's support.

"Who is going to be paired together?" Spirit asked, obviously concerned for Maka.

"That will be decided by me," Stein said. "When should I announce the changes?"

"How about tomorrow? After their classes, hm? That would be a good time," Lord Death said. He sighed with slight worry. "Kid will not like this."

"I know sir, but it is necessary," Stein said.

"I suppose," Lord Death said, already picturing his son having a nervous breakdown over the lack of symmetry in his temporary partner.

"Black Star will surely get a kick out of this," Marie sighed.

"Altogether, this will be a very interesting mismatched mission," Stein said with a smile as he twisted the screw in his head.

* * *

**Alright, super short chapter, but it's for a very good reason.**

**THAT'S RIGHT! YOU, THE READERS, WILL BE SELECTING THE MISMATCHED PAIRS!**

**Only rule is no one that is currently paired up can be paired up, and you must create a full set of pairs from the Spartoi members.**

**Maka, Soul, Black Star, Tsubaki, Death the Kid, Liz, Patty, Killik, Pot of Thunder, Pot of Fire, Kim, Jacqueline, Ox, and Harvar are the ones that you have to use.**

**Liz and Patty can be separated if you choose. The same goes for Pots of Fire and Thunder.**

**Please tell all the authors you know. I want to see all of your ideas!**

**You can also suggest how you want the story to go (i.e., epic quest, hilarious shenanigans, romance and setting people up, etc).**

**Leave your choices in the review box or PM it to me!**

**I may post second chapters to enlighten people of the current lists.**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2!**

**Basically a summary of everyone.**

**Still accepting lists.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Stein sighed as he eyed his coffee. Marie had just brought him another steaming mug.

_I'm turning into Joe_, he thought as he took another appreciative sip of the brown liquid. He looked down at the thick packets of paper that sat on the desk in front of him. They were extensive profiles on the children. Some were acquired by Marie and Stein from experience, while Spirit and Lord Death gave all the necessary information for Maka, Kid, Liz, and Patty. Sid and Nygus also assisted, along with the mission lady at the front desk, releasing all the missions that the partners and groups had been on.

There was a lot of information. Stein had been in his office for days. On Sunday, the day that Lord Death gave him approval for this "experiment", he had expected to present it the next day. It was now Thursday. Stein had been working non-stop, trying to figure out which partnerships would benefit the most. He began to look over the files in front of him for the thousandth time.

First, of course, was Maka Albarn. The creator and partner of one Death Scythe and the daughter of another. Her mother, Kami, was an esteemed Scythe meister, having turned Spirit into a Death Scythe. Top of her class and in average physical shape compared to her team mates. She also possesses incredible soul perception and an anti-demon wavelength. Even more astounding, her soul was a Grigori, and incredibly rare, one in fifty million soul, which granted her the ability to fly when using Soul.

Maka had an intellectual rivalry with Ox and Harvar, but a close friendship with Tsubaki. Maka and Tsubaki could even function as a meister and weapon team, so long as Tsubaki was in her chain-scythe form. Black Star seemed to annoy Maka greatly, but she still trusted him as a friend and comrade. She also showed deep respect for Kid, as well as deep friendship due to their shared abilities of soul perception, despite the fact that Maka easily surpassed him. She appeared to have a comradeship with Kim and Jacqueline, as well as Killik. She adored Pots of Fire and Thunder like children, easily amused by their strange antics. Liz and Patty admired Maka's abilities and saw her like a sister, which she gratefully appreciated. Soul was Maka's partner. Their relationship was so complicated that it even had Stein confused. Friends, enemies, lovers, who knew? Speaking of the albino devil, Stein picked up the next packet.

Soul Eater Evans, Death Scythe. Partner of Maka Albarn. The "cool" one. When partnered with Maka, he could grow wings in his weapon form, though this particular technique had not been perfected yet. On his own, Soul could use Noise Canceling, which could effect a number of different things, including resonance and madness. As a weapon, his physical strength was not up to the level of the meisters in the school, but he showed incredible amounts of willpower when he is forced to stand alone in combat. During his resonance with Maka, he could access her soul perception and anti-demon wavelength, increasing Makas as he does so. Now that he was a Death Scythe, he could achieve some form manipulation, as well as creating his unusual "dark keyboard", an ability unique to him alone. He was also a decent pianist.

Soul shared a friendship/romantic relationship/love-hate relationship with hs meister Maka. Stein had no idea what was going on in those lovebirds heads and, for once, he didn't want to. Soul shared his love of music with Liz and Killik, but thought Patty to be completely bonkers. He also had friendship with Kid, although he considered him to be "weird". He never really interacted with Kim, Ox, or their partners, but showed no open hostility towards them. He found Fire and Thunder to be "pretty cool", which was a high compliment from him. He seemed to pity Tsubaki, due to the fact that she was stuck with the most annoying boy on the planet, who we all know as Black Star.

Black Star, one of the survivors of Star Clan. Annoying, arrogant, egotistic, headstrong, immature, narcissistic, and loud were just a few words to describe the blue haired boy. Stein actually had an alphabetized list. Some how, this hyper-active kid with a superiority complex managed to get a partner as patient as Tsubaki, the Demon Shadow Weapon. Black Star possesses incredible physical fitness, being the fastest runner in the entire school. He also has stamina and strength that blew his opponents away. Black Star also has a massive soul, allowing him to use Soul Menance with great efficiency. He would also be the perfect assassin, if only he didn't insist on shouting whenever he went to assassinate someone.

Soul and Maka are two of Black Star's closest friends. Maka was born the day that Black Star was brought to the academy and the two grew up together. Black Star envies her Soul Perception. Soul and Black Star were like brothers despite their incompatible souls. They are both very headstrong and stubborn. Patty and Black Star joke around and play insane pranks on other people, laughing manically as they do so. He seemed to accept Liz as an older sister. He, like much of his team, does not have many significant interactions with Killiks team, other than with Killik himself. The two boys showed a physical rivalry due to their physical fitness, but other than that the boys got along just fine, acting very laid back around one another. Black Star previously had an intense rivalry against Kid, due to his goal to surpass God, and Kid's status as a God of Death.

Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, member of the famous Japanese Demon Weapon Clan, Nakatsukaa. She is the Dark Arm weapon, being able to turn into multiple weapon forms at will. She has a very kind and caring soul, which allows her to put up with her insufferable partner, Black Star. She always comforts her friends, no matter what. As stated before, she has the ability to transform into multiple weapons, including the Uncanny Sword, which allows her to manipulate shadows. She also has high physical abilities, allowing her to keep up with Black Star when needed, although she rarely fights without her meister present.

Her relationship with her partner Black Star was as complicated and confusing as the one between Maka and Soul. Tsubaki is always there to cheer Maka up whenever her friend is down. She also accepts Kid and his strange ways, helping out whenever she could. She and Liz get along well, being the older members of Spartoi. She sees Patty like a very odd younger sibling, much like Liz does. She also appreciates Soul and his musical abilities, especially during combat. She also got along swimmingly with Killiks team, with Thunder and Fire seeing her like a mother.

The next packet was Death the Kid, the OCD and symmetry obsessed son of Lord Death. His high meister skills allowed him to match the wavelength of not one weapon, but two: the Demon Twin Pistols. Due to his weapon choice, he had great marksmanship. He is also potent in the Death God Martial Art. As a Grim Reaper, his body can take more punishment than a normal humans. He can store souls with out consuming them, an ability unique to his kind. And to top it all off, he had the Lines of Sanzu as well as untold Reaper powers, which would reveal themselves once he became a fully recognized Grim Reaper.

Kid wields Liz and Patty Thompson. Kid rescued Liz and Patty from the streets, taking them on as his symmetrical weapons, for which they are deeply grateful. Patty usually riles up Kid's OCD, leaving her big sister to comfort him. Maka and Kid have a good friendship, built on their teamwork and shared Soul Perception. Black Star, on the other hand, annoys Kid to the ends of the earth. Tsubaki confuses Kid in the same way that she confuses Soul: why does she stay with Black Star? Kid has an...interesting relationship with Killik's group: Kim and Jacqueline called him a pervert for coming into the girl's shower room. This fact causes Ox to show distinctive dislike towards the son of the Shinigami, which Killik also displays to a more minor extent.

Liz Thompson was the next stack of stapled paper, along with her sister Patty. The Thompson sisters are the weapons of choice for Death the Kid, but also possess the ability to wield one another, should the situation call for it. Liz is more precise with her shooting technique, while Patty is insane and all over the place.

She and her sister both respect Kid greatly. Liz's love of music creates a friendship between herself and Soul, who seems weirded out by Patty. Patty gets along well with Black Star while Liz tends to be more friendly towards Tsubaki and Maka. Both girls show some form of friendship towards Killik, Kim, and their partners, noticable when they are able to chain resonate with them.

Stein sighed again when he realized that his coffee mug was empty again. He was about to rise to make more when Marie came in. She brought him more of the delicious coffee.

"Thanks Marie," he said, rubbing his temples.

"Something wrong Stein?" the one-eyed weapon asked as she walked over to his desk, scanning the stacks of paper. "Wow."

"I know," he groaned, his face in his hands. "There's so much. I can't take much more of this."

Marie suppressed a smile, amused by her meisters reaction to the papers. "You brought this upon yourself," she chided.

"It's for their sake," Stein said, sitting back as he drank some coffee. "You should leave while you can escape the inevitable pull of the packets."

"Okay," Marie said in mock fear, heading out the door with Stein's old coffee mug. "I'll be back with more coffee in an hour," she promised.

Stein groaned as he wheeled his chair back to his desk, picking up the next packet.

It was Kirikou Rung, better known as Killik. Meister partner of Pots of Fire and Thunder. He possessed physical prowess and skill that was only surpassed by Black Star. He acted much like Black Star, only lacking his massive ego, which made him easy to be around. In battle he was fierce and aggressive, contrasting with his usual laid back attitude. He is considered by Azuza to be a Utility Meister, or one who can resonate with more than one weapon type. This is shown when he fought using Liz and Patty. He is also very accepting of witches.

He gets along with his partners, Thunder and Fire, accepting the young weapons as they are. How they became partners was beyond Stein. Killik can play an instrument, like Soul, which grants a friendship between them. During Kid's absence, Liz and Patty were teamed up with Killik, allowing a sense of comradeship to grow between them. He sees Kid as a slightly weird and perverted person due to his incident with Kim. Killik has a rivalry with Black Star on many fronts, from eating contests to tests of physical strength. They remain friends throughout all. Killik seems to be close with Ox, almost like brothers despite their contrasting personalities. Killik is very supportive of Ox's crush on Kim, though he seems friendly towards Harvar. He also cares for Kim and Jacqueline as comrades, wanting to go after them immediately when they departed the school.

Pots of Thunder and Fire were very odd when it came to being weapons. They were twins and very young. Their true abilities as Earth Shamens have yet to be seen. Written in the packet, it states that the brother and sister bicker with one another and are cared for by all members of the Spartoi team, due to their lovableness. This did not surprise Stein in the slightest. Killik acts as their guardian, protecting them from danger. The twins were especially close to him and the team. They display a slight fear of Harvar, though. Kim's magic allows them to achieve their true forms as Earth Shamens, much to their delight.

Following Killik in the pile was Ox Ford, the Demon Lance Meister. He is shown to be incredibly intelligent and studious, as well as polite. He is not above insulting people if he finds them incompetent, however. His speed is only beaten by Black Star and Killik, and by a very narrow margin, which earns him the nickname "Lightning King".

He absolutely adores his teammate Kim, who has started to return the feelings towards him. He sees Maka as an intellectual equal, but finds Black Star to be impossible to stand. He respects Kid and his ability to work with Liz and Patty. He sees Killik as a brother, whom he can rely on completely. He is one of the few who is not intimidated by his partner, Harvar.

Harvar D Eclair, the Demon Lightning Lance, the endlessly loyal partner. He was dry and emotionless, but holds the safety of his partner above everything, including his own safety. He shows incredible physical strength, a trait that is uncommon among weapons. He also possess the ability to exercise some control over electricity, allowing him to electrocute people as he sees fit. He does not have complete control, however, shown when he gets angered and generates sparks.

He is a loyal and strong teammate, vital in battle. He intimidates almost everyone he meets, especially Thunder and Fire. His teammates respect him and fear him due to his ruthless methods. Jacqueline seems to have a certain distaste for him, due to the fact that he nearly killed Kim. Harvar seems to exhibit slight distrust for both girls due to their brief flight from the DWMA. He has forced himself to forgive Kim, due to his partner's extreme affection towards her.

Next was Kim Diehl, Lantern Meister and Tanuki witch. Her magical nature was healing, which caused her to be shunned and exiled by her fellow witches. Her physical ability is average, relying on her partners fire based attacks to keep her enemies at bay. The nature of her partner required her to wear gloves. She was a swindler, however, which is why she didn't return Ox's affections for a long time. This appears to have changed. She is also prone to taking advantage of people when she choses to.

Kim and her partner Jacqueline are close, with Jacqueline showing fierce loyalty towards her meister. Kim has also begun to accept Ox's feeling for her and develop some of her own. Stein took one glance at the enormous pile that explained the very nature of the relationship. He set it aside to burn later. None of Maka's team has any major interactions with Kim, except when they all showed comradeship towards her when the went to retrieve her from Baba Yaya's Castle. She is also mildly frightened by Harvar, who tried to kill her.

Jacqueline O. Lantern Dupre was the next one in the list. She was Kim's weapon partner who took the slightly unorthodox form of a lantern. She is an extremely devoted and caring person, much like Kim. She exhibits loyalty to her partner, so much that she accepted and hid the fact that she was a witch. Jacqueline possess great physical abilities, much like Patty in that aspect.

She has allegiance to Kim, which is apparent when she flees the DWMA with her. She is close to Killik in the sibling sense, and has a mild distrust towards Harvar, almost to the point of being terrified of him. She is also wary of Soul, whom she was put up against while fighting along with Stein. The two see no other interactions other than that...

Thunk.

Marie walked in, ten minutes after the thunk to find Stein asleep on the pile of paperwork, a smile on his face. Marie peeked over his shoulder to read the sheet of paper that his head rested upon.

A smile spread across her face as she read the note.

_I finally finished!_

Marie smiled and lay a white stitched up blanket over Steins shoulders, kissing him on top of his snowy hair. She then carefully backed away and disappeared out the door, wishing her partner a good nights rest.

Tomorrow would be a crazy Friday, especially once the kids say their new parters.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Basically everyone, their abilities, and their relationships.**

**Submit the pairing that you like the best into the reviews, or PM me.**

**I have been entertaining the idea of Kim and Ox as partners.**

**AND ATTENTION!**

**To anyone who has the ability to alter the Soul Eater Wikia; Please, for Death's sake, update Jacqueline's profile! It says that her gender is unknown!**

**And ITS BUGGING ME!**

**And point out my spelling errors.**

**Thanks, **

**~CatKkit**


	3. Chapter 3

**List decided!**

**It's in this chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Stein sat placidly in his backwards rolling chair, studying the children before him with lazy casuality. Marie was standing behind him, her single eye shooting from one student to the next. Maka was chattering with Soul, wondering why they were being asked to stay after class. Black Star was boasting to Tsubaki, presuming that he was staying after to receive some sort of medal. Death the Kid was going bonkers, screaming about the lack of symmetry that was everywhere. Liz was trying to smack some sense into him while Patty was laughing so hard that she fell out of her chair. Killik was keeping a watchful eye on Fire and Thunder, who were chasing one another up and down the steps. Jacqueline watched as Kim and Ox began to fawn over one another, herself and Harvar sitting with bored expressions, waiting for Stein to get started.

Stein coughed several times,clearing his throat before he began speaking. "Children, I'm sure that you all are wondering why I have called you here today."

"Why weren't you here at all this week?" Black Star interrupted. "Were you sick?"

Stein stared at him, his eyes empty and voice hollow. "I had some paper work to look over."

"For four days?" Soul asked. "That must have been a lot of paper work."

Stein moaned, head drooping in exhaustion, not answering the albino's question. Marie smiled as cheerily as she could.

"If I were you, I would stop asking," she whisper-shouted helpfully.

"Of course. Sorry," Tsubaki said sweetly.

"So, why are we here, Stein?" Kid asked, trying to move off of the topic.

"I'm glad you asked, Kid," Stein said, straightening up. "Marie and I, as well as some of the other adults around the school have noticed that Spartoi isn't working at the level that we believe it should be working at."

"What do you mean? We work fine!" Killik yelled. Others nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but not to your full potential," Marie explained.

"Indeed. We believe that a little challenge may be the thing that you all need in order to get your act together," Stein said with a grin.

"Now remember, this isn't a punishment," Marie added, causing the children to whisper to one another in concern.

"What is the challenge?" Liz asked suspiciously.

Stein and Marie exchanged a smile. "Well," Stein began, "we have decided to split up all of your partnerships-."

That was as far as Stein got before the shouting began.

"Are you bonkers?"

"You can't do that!"

"He must have a screw loose!"

"Giraffes!"

"What about the symmetry?!"

"So uncool."

"Soul, shut up!"

"Stop yelling at me, Maka!"

"Then stop asking for it, Soul!"

"Oh my god, SHUT UP!" Marie screamed over all of them. All attention turned to her, causing her to blush slightly. "Please allow Stein to finish."

"Thank you, Marie. Now, we have decided this for your own good. It is not a permanent switch, and the partners have been selected for different reasons. For example, we may want to see how you work with another meister or weapon, or perhaps improve your trust and teamwork with the other person, or we may just be doing it for laughs. The point is, it's happening," Stein finished firmly.

It was looking like another shouting match was about to start, but Ox quickly stood up. "Let's hear the new teams before we start complaining! Maybe it won't be so bad."

"He has a point," Kim said, agreeing with her boyfriend.

"Thank you," Ox said, sitting back down next to her.

"Ox and Kim, you're going to be working together," Marie announced. The two lovebirds shared excited smiles.

"Tsubaki, you will be working with Pots of Fire and Thunder," Stein said. The twins ran up to Tsubaki, jumping up and down with excitement, despite them having absolutely no idea what was going on.

"Kid and Soul will also be working together," Marie added. Soul looked uneasily at the son of Lord Death, who was staring at him intently.

"Symmetry," was all that Kid could whisper before collapsing to the ground in the fetal position. Maka began to giggle at Soul's misfortune.

"I wouldn't be so quick to laugh, Maka," Soul pointed out. "You still have no idea who your partner is."

"I'm sure that it'll be someone cool," Maka said. "Like Liz and Patty."

"Maka," Stein called up, getting the scythe meister's attention.

"Yes?" she asked excitedly.

"Your partner is..." he paused for dramatic effect. "...Black Star."

At once, Soul burst out laughing.

"Good luck with that, Maka," Soul gasped, barely able to breath through his chuckles.

"No..." she whined softly, her whole world coming down around her. She looked over slowly at Black Star, who was smiling.

"I'll have to get you on my training program, Maka," Black Star said thoughtfully. Maka froze. Didn't Tsubaki once mention something about Black Star doing over 500 push ups a day? Maka groaned, slamming her head down on the table.

"Woah Maka! Watch your enthusiasm," Killik said with a smile. He, of course, had nothing to worry about. His partners were in goods hands, and the remaining weapons were Jacqueline, Liz, Patty, and Harvar. He honestly wouldn't mind working with any of them.

"Killik, you will be working with Liz and Patty," Stein said, allowing himself a small smile as he saw the three give each other high-fives.

Marie smiled and clapped her hands. "Which just leaves..."

"Us," Jacqueline and Harvar said at the same time.

"Yup!" Marie said, cheerily ignoring the creepy unison response. A lightbulb in the ceiling exploded, as did one of the lamps that protruded from the wall.

"Alright," Stein said. "You have the weekend to get to know one another, or get on better terms, or just learn to manage one another. Whatever is the case, you will be receiving special lessons from certain members on the faculty in order to build your teamwork."

"Okay," Maka said as the group began to get up to leave, talking among themselves.

"Oh, one last thing," Stein said as they were about to go out the door.

"Yes?" Kim asked, everyone turning to look at Stein.

He waited a moment before speaking, an evil glint on his glasses. "You will be expected to live with your partner."

"What?!" Maka shrieked.

"Your place!" Black Star shouted, pointing at Maka's face. Tsubaki smiled apologetically at Maka before getting on her knees to explain to Thunder and Fire what was happening. Killik began to explain to Liz and Patty that his home was a little "messy" while Kid began to educate Soul as to the rules and symmetry of Gallows Mansion. Kim was telling Ox how they should stay at her house, due to all of her potion materials that would be difficult to move. Jacqueline and Harvar looked ready to throw themselves from the top of a bridge.

"Alright, you have to be moved in together by tomorrow morning!" Stein shouted over them. "Be sure to bring everything you might need for a long stay!"

Once they were gone, Marie closed the door and turned around with a smile. "That worked out perfectly!" she exclaimed.

"Mostly," Spirit muttered. "It may be a little awkward for a few of them, but everything will work out in the end."

"So, who's your money on?" Marie asked. Once word had gotten out on Stein's plan, teachers and faculty began to make bets on who would grow the most, fight the most, etc.

Stein smiled. "Why, no one of course. That would be immoral."

Marie smiled, realizing that he wasn't going to tell her.

* * *

**Chapter Done.**

**I combined the three-ish lists that I got into one.**

**Sorry if you aren't happy with it.**

**Point out my errors.**

**Thanks,**

**CatKkit**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter!**

**I deleted the two about the poll.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Maka sighed in her seat. It was Monday, and class had just ended. All the students were filing out, shooting glances at the Spartoi kids that remained. No doubt they were wondering about the odd new partnerships. Once everyone had left, Stein addressed them.

"I'm sure all of you had a great weekend moving in with your new partners. I trust that you've all settled in nicely?"

His question was met with some awkward silences, as well as excited cheers.

"We're doing okay," Maka said. well, it was half true. Black Star had settled into her home nicely, she supposed. He was still incredibly annoying and wouldn't share the chores with her. Blair had decided to be awesomely nice and help out with the house work until Soul was back. It could be a while, though.

"I think that Fire and Thunder are doing well!" Tsubaki said happily. She loved having the tiny twins around. Killik had actually come by on Saturday to give her a list with all of the twins favorite things, allergies, bedtime and mealtimes. It was very thoughtful of him.

"SOUL NEEDS TO BE MORE SYMMETRICAL!" Kid screamed. Soul was trying to remain his own cool self, which was driving Kid insane. He had actually tried to cut Soul's hair in his sleep, only to awaken him and get punched twice in the face. At least the bruises were symmetrical.

Stein sighed. They seemed to be doing alright. He turned to the others. "Killik, how are you doing with your new partners?"

"Awesome!" He said, giving a thumbs up. Liz and Patty were really nice for him to have around. He didn't notice it, but their presence was helping him clean up his act and become a little... softer.

"We're doing great!" Ox and Kim said at the same time, causing the two of them to blush. Stein could see that their partnership wasn't a problem. Which left that last two.

"What about you two?" Stein asked, looking at Harvar and Jackie.

"A little awkward, but I think we can manage," Jackie said, casting an uneasy glance at Harvar, who said nothing.

"I certainly hope so, because all of you are going on a very dangerous mission very soon,"Stein said. Everyone stared at him with very surprised expressions.

"Are you bonkers?" Maka asked. "How are we supposed to go on a mission without our proper weapons?"

"Relax, children. Let me explain." Once they had all quieted down, Stein continued. "This Friday, you will all be sent on a scouting and recconaissance mission. It will only be dangerous if you are discovered by the things you are tracking."

At this, Maka let out a groan. Black Star was going to get her killed during that mission.

"Worry not, Maka. You'll be training with Black Star under the guidance of the teachers. You should be fine," Stein said, though he didn't sound very convinced.

"Yeah Maka, it'll be fine. A big star like me will be able to protect a puny human like you!" Black Star cackled. Maka and Tsubaki sighed in sync, but Maka sounded more irritated.

With blinding speed, she hit him over the head with a book.

Tsubaki looked at Maka. "You know, I've been wondering where you keep that book. You seem to pull it out whenever it's needed, and then it disappears just as quickly."

Maka grinned at her friend. "That's a secret that was given to me from Sid, who got it from Lord Death himself." Tsubaki nodded with understanding.

Stein held up his hands. "You will all receive a schedule soon with the times you will be expected to be up for training. It should arrive at your houses later tonight. You all will be excused from classes for the duration of this time.

His final words were met with smiles of relief. It would be difficult to get any school work done with that kind of mission hanging over their heads.

"You all can go now," Stein said.

Everyone left the room, chattering with their original partners quietly. Once they reached the top of the stairs, they began to split back into their temporary partnerships.

"Hey guys!" Black Star shouted suddenly as he and Maka prepared to leave.

"What is it, Black Star?" Tsubaki asked.

"How about, when we get our schedules, we meet up and compare them?! It would be awesome!"

"Well, I don't see any reason not to," Maka said. "Everyone cool with the plan?"

Everyone was, in fact, cool with it.

"Alright, we'll see you all later!" Kim said as she and Ox disappeared down the steps together. The rest of the group followed their lead and left to go back home.

* * *

**Alright, about the poll.**

**It was really confusing, to say the least.**

**I'm going to select certain pairings only.**

**I won't tell you which ones, though.**

**It's a surprise!**

**Anyway, this chapter was short, but the next one will be better.**

**I will still be taking suggestions into consideration, so go ahead and suggest.**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


	5. Chapter 5

**New Chapter.**

**Yay!**

* * *

The lists came early, around 4:40. The groups decided that they'd meet up around 5:30 at the basketball court.

"Soul!" Maka cried, running up to her partner and hugging him.

"Hey Maka. How's it going?" he asked, carefully detaching himself from her. He could feel Kid's eyes boring into the back of his head, quietly whispering the word "symmetry".

"Blair's disappeared and Black Star is driving me crazy," Maka groaned. "How's Kid?" Soul gave her _the look. _He reserved the look for something especially uncool.

"It's not cool."

"Hey Tsubaki, how's your partnership with the Pots going?" Black Star asked casually. Tsubaki sighed.

"It's okay, I guess. I'm acting as the meister."

"Really? How great! Soon, you'll be a big time meister, just not as big as me! AHAHAHA" Black Star cackled. "What's the problem with them, anyway?" he asked, watching as the two children sat lovingly with Killik, who chatted quietly to them.

"Well, they don't like my lack of confidence," Tsubaki said. "They're used to Killik, who beats down walls with them. I'm not sure if I could manage that."

"I'm sure you'll do great! After all, you're still my weapon, and that makes you a big star!" Black Star shouted, making Tsubaki blush.

"Liz, Patty, weapon forms," Kid ordered. The sisters, who had just finished hugging Kid, obeyed. Kid caught them, holding them upside down.

"Um, Kid?" Liz asked, confused. "Is something wrong?" Kid took a deep, deep breath.

"AH! BEAUTIFUL SYMMETRY!" Tears began to stream down the boy's face. "The beauty! It's perfect!"

"You're crazy!" Patty said, cackling in her weapon form. Kid continued to cry as the others looked on.

"You see him?" Killik asked the Pots, pointing to Kid. The tiny twins nodded. "Well, he's crazy. Completely off his rocker. If you ever meet anyone who acts like him, but isn't him, then run. Just run away as fast as you can, okay?" They nodded again. "Good."

"Where are the others?" Maka asked, noticing the absence of four of the Spartoi members.

"Kim said that she and Ox are going to meet up with their partners for a little while," Killik explained. "No big deal. They'll be here soon."

"We're here," Kim said as she and Ox emerged from the streets with Jackie and Harvar in tow.

"Alright! Let's start the comparison!" Maka said as she and all the others pulled out white envelopes and tore them open. She looked at hers with confusion and then peeked at Black Star's. Everyone seemed to be just as confused as her.

"What's this? We have Stein for the whole week! That's not fair!" Black Star complained.

"Oh no!" Maka moaned.

"We have Ms. Marie," Kim said, glancing at Ox's paper as well.

"We are being assigned to my dad and Spirit as well," Kid said, making Soul groan.

"We've got Justin," Jackie said, bemused.

"We have...Sid and Nygus," Tsubaki said.

"Then who do we have?" Killik asked. "Oh. We have Azuza."

"These make no sense," Liz complained. "Why don't we take lessons with all of them, instead of just the one?"

"There must be some rhyme to their reasoning," Maka said with a frown, unable to figure it out.

"There better be," Kid said, trembling. Something without a meaning? That was chaos as far as Kid was concerned.

"It's probably just to work on a specific skill of ours," Black Star said. "Stein must want to help me with my soul force! AHAHAHA!"

"Okay, that makes sense," Soul said thoughtfully. Of course. Why else would they be paired up with the old man and the older man? Lord Death and Spirit were going to help Kid learn how to wield a Death Scythe.

"Okay, that makes sense, but why are we with Azuza?" Killik asked.

"Yeah, and why are we with Ms. Marie?" Kim asked.

"Well, maybe Azuza is helping you with you lack of planning skills," Ox said.

"What's Ms. Marie going to help us with?" Kim asked. No offence to Ms. Marie, but she was lacking in the combat department.

"Maybe something to help your angelic healing powers. She does have a very calming wavelength, after all," Ox doted, causing Kim to giggle and blush.

"Sid's probably going to help you become more aggressive," Killik said to Tsubaki, who nodded in understanding.

"What about them?" Maka asked, pointing to Jackie and Harvar. They were whispering quietly, but stopped when Maka pointed. "Why is Justin tutoring them?"

"We're trying to figure that out now," Jackie said, glancing at Harvar. He hadn't spoken aloud to anyone else during the meeting. "We haven't gotten anywhere with it, though."

"Maybe they want you to try being autonomous weapons," Ox suggested. Jackie and Harvar began to mutter to one another again. Clearly, they didn't plan on sharing.

"Alright," Maka said, a little awkwardly. "I guess we better get home. Training starts tomorrow, after all."

"It starts at 10 o'clock too!" Liz cried.

"Ours doesn't," Maka said.

"You know what? No," Kim said suddenly. "We have been sitting here, discussing this for hours. Can we please go home?"

"We may not get any opportunities to talk," Jackie said. "Looks like everyone is busy at different times."

"Oh well. We'll see you all later then!" Patty giggled as she and her sister left Kid, who began to tremble without symmetry. They carefully detached Fire and Thunder from Killik and returned them to Tsubaki. Then, they walked down the road towards Killik's apartment. Tsubaki carried the crying twins back to her house. Maka and Black Star began to talk about Stein's possible lesson plans as they walked away. Jackie and Harvar drifted away, followed soon after by Kim and Ox.

...

Miles away, a witch smiled as she looked into a white liquid mirror. She had been causing lots of trouble for the DWMA, so she knew that someone would be sent to monitor her actions and spy on her.

It was a darn shame that she already knew their plan. The DWMA had always intended on sending Spartoi after her. That's why they had the partners split up and put with seemingly unmatchable pairs. It was for their protection. Her experiments only worked with people with compatible souls, and since she had never seen any of them before, she didn't know who's true partner was whose.

Oh well. She was a damn good guesser.

* * *

**Chapter done.**

**Okay, a few points to point out:**

**Justin is good in this. I need another tutor and he worked out, so yeah.**

**Also, the following chapters are going to be iffy, so bear with me.**

**They might just be on one pairing per chapter, and then go to the mission.**

**So yeah.**

**Point out my spelling errors.**

**Thanks.**


	6. Chapter 6

**New Chapter!**

**These chapters are going to be one lesson per partnership.**

**And then the mission**

**Yay!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Kid felt himself beginning to twitch as he observed the sight in front of him. It was soul, still with his stupid, asymmetrical headband, and his ugly, asymmetrical clothes, and the stain on one of his shoes and not the other.

It was driving Kid _crazy_.

Soul wasn't much better off. Compared to Kids high-strung attitude, even Maka seemed chill. Kid just seemed to enjoy driving Soul bonkers, with his antics. Unlike Liz and Patty, Soul didn't have the patience to deal with him.

Spirit and Lord Death stared at the two boys. They could practically sence the annoyance coming off of them.

"Okay, well I think that we are going to try to see if you can hold Soul," Lord Death said. "Is that okay with you, Kid?"

"I don't know," Kid muttered, glancing at the white-haired boy next to him. "He's so asymmetrical..."

"But he is a Death Scythe," Spirit pointed out. "You are going to take your father's place one day, and you will have to be able to wield any and all of your Death Scythes."

"Father is young! It can wait!" Kid declared, clearly trying to get out of the lesson.

Spirit looked at Kid with intense eyes. "If you don't, then I will make sure that Stein stops grading all of the tests out of 88."

"WHAT!?" Kid shouted. When Stein had come to the school, he noticed that Kid always got B's on his work. After a while, Stein figured out why it was happening and changed his grading scale accordingly. Now, all the tests were out of 88.

"You better do it, Kid," Soul said. "Spirit and Stein are pretty cool with each other. I don't think the old man is kidding."

"Old? Who are you calling old, you annoying little pipsqueak!" Spirit growled.

"If I'm so annoying, then how come I have spent more time with your daughter than you have!" Soul growled back. Spirit froze, making Soul grin.

"The sad part is that it is true," Lord Death whispered to Kid, who rolled his eyes when he noticed the tears running down Spirits face.

"My Maka! Why doesn't she love me?" Spirit wailed, laying in the fetal position and rolling around.

"Ahem! Can we please return to the lesson?" Lord Death asked. Spirit didn't hear him and kept on rolling, much to Lord Deaths annoyance. "DIRECT NOGGIN SHINIGAMI CHOP!" With that, Spirit was unconscious on the floor with a small fountain of blood coming out of his head.

"Well then," Soul said, slightly put off by the attack.

"Any who, if you would please transform," Lord Death said to Soul, who changed into his Death Scythe form easily. Lord Death caught it and turned to Kid, who was staring at it in displeasure.

"Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting..." he muttered as Lord Death handed the scythe to Kid. He immediately dropped it. "It's not symmetrical!"

"Hey! I can hear you!" Soul shouted angrily.

Lord Death bent over and picked up the young scythe. "Here, try holding it like this." Lord Death Held the scythe at a direct vertical angel.

"I think I can do that," Kid nodded. Lord Death handed it to him, and he successfully held it up.

"Well done guys!" Spirit said groggily from the ground as he began to wake up.

"But this won't help us in a fight," Soul pointed out.

"Why does it matter?" Kid asked, his eyes shining as he looked at the symmetry. "It's perfect!"

"Well, you'll need to be able to attack," Spirit said as he stood up.

"Let me show you something that you can try," Lord Death said as Spirit transformed into a black scythe.

"This might work for you," Spirit said.

"What is it?" Kid asked eagerly.

"It's simple really," Lord Death said as he copied his sons position. "One swipe, two swipe, return," he said while swiping the scythe out from the left, and then the right, before returning it to the vertical position. "See? Still symmetrical. Now, you try."

"I can't," Kid said miserably.

"Alright, then just try this," Lord Death said, swinging the scythe down like a whack-a-mole hammer.

"Okay," Kid said, swinging the scythe down. His face lit up. "Symmetry!"

"Yes Kid, symmetry," Lord Death agreed, a cautious note in his voice that Spirit could pick up on. It didn't take him long to figure out why.

Kid went absolutely insane.

He began sprinting around the Death Room, swing the scythe into the ground over and over, giggling like mad.

"This is amazing!" he cackled, destroying the stairs.

"You are one weird guy," Soul muttered.

"Well, at least he can attack," Lord Death said, watching his son going bonkers.

"Yeah, anything directly in front of him," Spirit said, watching Kid swing the scythe into the ground over and over, as if hammering something directly in front of him.

"Okay Kid, now stop!" Lord Death called out lightly.

"Never! Look at the symmetry!" Kid shouted as he kept running. Lord Death sighed, realizing that he'd have to take drastic measures.

"Hey Kid, I never noticed the stripes on one side of your head," Lord Death shouted. Kid knew that his dad was kidding, but it still drove him over the edge.

"No! I'm garbage!" Kid cried, dropping Soul and falling to the ground. "Useless garbage." He began to roll around on the floor.

"Great, now what?" Soul asked as he transformed again.

"Well, this is usually where Liz and Patty come in. Liz comforting and Patty making it worse," Lord Death said. "You're his current partner. Do something."

"Why me? Your the one who caused this," Soul said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Lord Death continued to stare at him, so Soul gave up and walked over to Kid.

"Garbage, garbage, garbage..." Kid was whispering. Soul knelt down next to him.

"It's okay, Kid. You seem perfectly symmetrical to me," Soul said, attempting to be soothing. "You're the most symmetrical person that I know."

"Garbage..." Kid whispered again. He seemed to be calming down a little, so Soul decided to continue.

"You're as symmetrical as..." Soul trailed off, trying to find the right word to say. His hesitation caused Kid to stiffen. Soul realized that if he didn't say something soon, then Kid would lose his mind. "You're as symmetrical as the number 8."

This cheered Kid up immediately.

"Really?" he asked, bouncing up and down. "Really? Really? You really mean that? That's amazing! I have achieved symmetry!"

"Kid, could you please calm down? We need you two to try something before this lesson can end," Lord Death said.

"Okay," Kid said, calming down. He was still beaming with sheer joy, though.

"Alright, we need you two to try resonating your souls," Lord Death said. Soul and Kid exchanged confused glances.

"Um, okay," Soul said, transforming again. Kid caught the scythe, holding it vertically, enjoying the symmetry of Souls shaft. It was rather smooth, too, and flawless.

The two began to resonate their souls, as they would if Soul was with Maka and Kid was with Liz and Patty. About half way through the resonance, it broke.

"Damn it," Soul cursed.

"We can try again," Kid said.

Lord Death nodded, signaling for them to continue. They tried again, only to fail at the same spot.

"I think that's good," Lord Death said.

"We didn't expect you two to be able to resonate," Spirit said, seeing Kid's defeated expression. "After all, there is a reason that the two of you aren't partners."

"Can we go now?" Soul asked. He was already bored from the lesson. He just wanted to go home -no, back to Kids home- and sleep.

"One more thing," Spirit said, turning to the new Death Scythe. "Over the next few days, you and I will work on your form manipulation. You may be able to change into a simple staff."

"What? Why would I want to do that?" he asked angrily. He liked being a scythe, and that was the form that he was comfortable with. He didn't even like shortening the blade, which he did with Maka when they were about to start flying.

"It would be easier for Kid to use in combat," Spirit said. "Either Kid can use you to attack things that are directly in front of himself, or attack with you more normally."

"Tch. Fine," Soul said angrily.

"Kid, by the end of this, you will learn how to wield Soul effectively," Lord Death said. "For the most part, understood?"

"Yes father," Kid said, slightly afraid of the lack off symmetry that was sure to come. A question still nagged at his mind. "What about our resonance?" Soul hissed at Kid for reminding the two men about the earlier failure.

"No need to worry about that. It won't be necessary at all," Lord Death said.

"Then why did you ask us to try and-."

"Not necessary at all," Spirit said, cutting Soul off. "You two may go now." The two boys glanced at each other and left, still very muchly confused.

"I'm really glad that they can't resonate," Lord Death muttered once the boys were out of earshot.

"I know," Spirit said. "Now that witch can't perform any of her experiments on them."

Lord Death let out a sigh of relief. That was two that were safe.

...

"What do you think that thing was about?" Soul asked as he sat down at the table with Kid. Soul was having a bowl of Ramen while Kid ate a toasted sandwich.

"I'm not sure," Kid said. "They seemed almost worried about it."

"It was almost as if they didn't want us resonating," Soul said, putting his chopsticks down. "That's a little odd, don't you think?"

Kid frowned. "Yeah. Resonance between partners is incredibly important, and takes a long time to achieve. Why were they worried hat we'd get it right off the bat?"

"It does seem pretty weird," Soul muttered. "But I can't think of any reason that they would not want us to resonate."

"I don't know either," Kid said. "We have a meeting with the others the night before the mission. We'll discuss it then, in-depth, but until the meeting, we need to keep our eyes and ears open."

"We should mention it to the others soon," Soul said, picking up his empty bowl and placing it into the dishwasher. "I'll give them a call."

"Alright," Kid said as he finished his sandwich. "I just hope we're being overly paranoid about this."

Soul nodded as he picked up the phone and began dialing.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Yay!**

**If anyone is still confused with how the chapters are going to be, then just leave a review or PM, and I'll explain it at the start of the next chapter.**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


	7. Chapter 7

**New Chapter!**

**Took a while!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Stein sat on his chair backward smoking a cigarette. He looked at Maka and Black Star with an expressionless face. Today, he was in charge of teaching them how to act as a team. He was also going to assess the compatibility of their souls.

"Alright," Stein said eventually. "It's time to get started."

"Finally!" Maka and Black Star said at the same time, for very different reasons. Maka just wanted to get this over with while Black Star seemed to think that surpassing Maka's soul perception abilities will be the equivalent of surpassing a god's soul perception ability.

Stein found it to be a little weird, to be honest.

"Perhaps you two should have a little energy boost before starting," Stein suggested. He gestured to the desk behind him where two uncapped thermos sat.

"What is it made of?" Maka asked suspiciously.

"Oh, just this and that," Stein said as the two children approached the table. They missed the slightly maniacal glint in the professor's eyes.

"What will it do to us?" Black Star asked, sounding highly excited.

"It will amplify your energy and your soul's flexibility, making it easier for the two of you to gain an understanding of the technique of Soul Force and Soul Perception," Stein explained.

"Alright," Black Star said. He turned to Maka. "On three. Ready, Maka?"

"I guess," she said, giving the liquid one more cautious sniff before raising it to her mouth. Black Star did the same.

"One... Two... Three!" Both teens tipped their thermos back, drinking the contents in under ten seconds.

"Ew!" Maka shouted, gagging at the after-taste.

"Now what?" Black Star asked, coughing.

"Now, we wait five minutes for the chemicals to take effect," Stein said, leaning back in his chair. He gestured to the children to go sit down, which they did.

Too bad Stein miscalculated the concentration.

...

"WOOHOO!" Black Star shouted, bouncing off the walls. He was using Soul Force repetitively, destroying windows and desks as he cackled. Maka was hanging upside down from the chandelier, muttering about seeing the soul of the universe.

"Stein? What is going on in here?" Lord Death asked, waddling into the classroom with Spirit in tow. They had just finished their lessons with Kid and Soul.

"It seems I have made a minor miscalculation," Stein said, watching the children.

"Clearly," Spirit said, watching his daughter dangling from the ceiling. "What did you give them?"

"Just a little something," Stein said with a grin. "I gave it to you once, remember?" Spirit's eyes widened and he nodded.

"What does it do?" Lord Death asked, ducking to avoid being hit by Black Star.

"Well, Stein gave it to me outside our shared house, and then everything turned purple, and next thing I know, I'm three hundred miles away, sleeping on top of the Empire State Building," Spirit said, his eyes far off.

"That is... impressive," Lord Death said.

"Yeah, it is," Stein agreed. He turned his attention back to his students. "Maka! Black Star! Come down here!"

"Yes sir!" Maka giggled, falling from the chandelier and landing on her feet before collapsing to the ground.

"No way, old man," Black Star shouted. "You can't catch-." His mockery was cut short with a powerful punch in the face from Stein.

"There we go," Stein said, looking at the two students on he ground. "Before we end this failure of a lesson, I would like the two of to try and resonate."

"But neither of us are weapons," Maka said, slowly gathering her wits.

"I know, but we would like to see," Spirit said.

"Alright," Maka said, standing up. She grabbed Black Star's hands and hauled him to his feet.

"When you are ready," Lord Death said. Maka and Black Star nodded, both overcoming the strength of the 'energy drink' to focus. Stein watched using his Soul Perception as Maka and Black Star's souls began to expand. Once they had reached a stable mass, the tails of the souls formed and stretched towards one another. The second they touched, a massive spurt of energy ricocheted into the two students.

"Ah!" They both shouted as their souls dissipated around them, leaving two massive craters.

"Sorry Professor," Maka said. "We can try again if you need us to."

"It appears that your souls are too different," Stein said.

"Thank Death," Spirit muttered. Black Star froze when he heard Spirit say that. _Why is he happy about our failure? Doesn't he think that Maka should be perfect? Shouldn't he be blaming me for Maka's failure?_

"You're quite welcome," Lord Death said

"Are we done for the day? Black Star asked.

"Yes," Stein said. "We will continue with the lesson tomorrow. I don't know if you noticed or not, but you two have, in fact, been showing some potency in Soul Perception and Soul Force."

"Really?" Maka asked.

"Yeah. You were a little to hyper to notice, though," Stein said. "The only reason that you are calm now is because Ms. Marie, along with Kim and Ox, are in another room working on the calming soul wavelength.

"What does that mean?" Black Star asked.

"It means that, once you exit the school, you will start hearing smells and taste colors," Spirit said.

"Don't worry though," Stein said. "It should wear off in an hour. You two can stay in the school with Soul and Kid until then. They're in the library."

"Alright," Black Star said. "Let's go!" Maka looked at Black Star a little oddly. Usually, he would be obsessed with getting the new technique perfect. Right now though, he was walking away, and dragging her with him. He shot her a look that said he would explain later.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Professor," Maka said with a smile as the two disappeared out the door. Once they were gone, Stein turned to Lord Death and Spirit.

"How did Soul and Kid perform?" he asked.

"I couldn't complain. There is a little trouble with the symmetry, but I think we are getting past that," Lord Death said.

"I just wish that Soul wasn't such a snot nosed little brat," Spirit said. "I can't believe my Maka would partner with someone like him..."

"So, how did their resonance go?" Stein asked, ignoring his old partner.

"It went badly," Lord Death said, the happiness evident in his voice. "As badly as Maka's did with Black Star."

"That is good news," Stein said. "That's two pairs out of six."

Two out of six safe.

...

"Hey Soul!" Black Star shouted as he caught sight of his friend sitting next to Kid in the library. He was immediately shushed by everyone in the vicinity.

"Hey Black Star!" Soul whispered back to his friend. Then, he caught sight of Maka. He jumped up and hugged her.

"Hi!" Maka said, caught by surprise.

"I never imagined that I'd miss being your partner so much," he whispered in his ear as he held her closer. Black Star and Kid felt a little awkward watching the scene.

"Maybe we should leave," Kid whispered.

"I can't," Black Star said. "If I do, I'll get super high." Kid gave him an odd look, to which Black Star simply shrugged.

"Alright then," he said.

"Yeah. I have to wait an hour," Black Star said. "Then I'll be good."

"So, what brings you guys down here?" Soul asked, breaking the hug.

"It's about what you said over the phone last night," Black Star said, sitting down at the table. "Spirit sounded like he was relieved that Maka and I couldn't resonate."

"My dad was the same with us," Kid muttered.

"What is wrong with them, if they don't want us resonating?" Maka wondered aloud.

"Maybe it has to do with the mission we're going on," Kid said suddenly. "Maybe it wasn't a coincidence that we were broken up from our partners."

"But what is the benefit of it?" Soul asked. "Is it safer for us?"

"How would it be?" Maka asked. "We would be even more vulnerable."

Soul, Kid, and Black Star nodded in agreement with her, and the quartet continued to discuss their odd situation.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Yay!**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


	8. Chapter 8

**New Chapter!**

**Yay!**

* * *

Kim and Ox were sitting cross-legged on soft green cushions. Ms. Marie sat across from them, beaming at the two students.

"Ms. Marie?" Kim said questioningly. "Are you okay? You've been staring at us for ten minutes."

"Oh, have I?" Ms. Marie asked. "I'm sorry. Let's get started with today's lesson."

"Finally!" Ox said, punching the air. He paused mid-punch. "What exactly are we doing?"

"I am going to work with Kim to try and teach her to have a calm, soothing wavelength," Ms. Marie said cheerily. "You, Ox, are going to help me."

"How am I going to help you?" Ox asked, a little confused.

"You have a wavelength that can cancel out the harmful wavelength's from your partner's soul," Ms. Marie said. "If you didn't, you'd have such severe muscle damage from the electricity that not even Kim would be able to heal it."

"Really?" Ox asked.

"Yeah, really," Marie said. "Now, shall we begin?"

"Yes," the students said in unison. Marie gave them another wide smile.

"Now, Kim, I know you must be wondering why a soothing wavelength can help with your healing abilities. It is my belief, as well as the belief of many of the staff, that if anyone can learn to have a soothing wavelength without being born with it, it's you. Ox has a slightly canceling wavelength, which is a bit like a mix between my soul and that of Professor Stein's," Ms. Marie said. "We have faith in you."

Kim smiled widely at Ox and Ms. Marie, ready to begin.

"To start out with, I'm going to have to use a little 'tough love', okay?" Ms. Marie said with another smile.

"Of course," Kim said.

"Good," Ms. Marie said with a the slightest sadistic glint in her eye.

She brought her hand up, which had transformed into a hammer, and brought it swinging down on Ox's arm, effectively snapping both the radius and the ulna in his right arm.

He didn't shout, though. He did stare at his bones in sheer horror as he realized that they were bent at an awkward angle.

"Oh my Death!" Kim shouted. "What the hell was that for?"

"Observe," Ms. Marie ordered as Kim tried to rush forward and heal him. "What do you notice, Kim?"

"He isn't screaming," Kim said. That was the obvious answer, and apparently the right one.

"You are correct," Ms. Marie said. "He can still feel the pain, but I am soothing it with my wavelength so it doesn't bother him."

"That's incredible," Kim said.

"And that is what I am trying to teach you today," Ms. Marie said. "I suggest you heal him so we can move on."

"Oh, right!" Kim said, placing one of her gloved hands on Ox's weirdly bent arm. She muttered under her breath and her hand began to grow green. Withing a few seconds, it straightened out.

"You're incredible," Ox murmured in her ear, making her blush.

"Any pain left?" Ms. Marie asked.

"No. None at all," Ox said gratefully.

"Good," Ms. Marie said. "This technique is useful in any battle. If it's a long one with many injuries, you can sooth the ones that you cannot heal. It could give them a painless death, at least."

"I hope it never comes to that," Kim muttered.

"I do too," Ms. Marie agreed. "Moving on, we will try that again, but this time you will try soothing the pain."

"Oh heck no!" Ox said, scooting back immediately. "You are not breaking my arm again!"

"Relax Ox. I'm just going to bruise your hand, okay?" Ms. Marie said, trying to coax him back to the cautiously moved back and lay his other hand flat on the table. Ms. Marie brought her hammer down again, this time light enough to prevent any bone damage.

It still hurt, though.

Kim watched as the purple bruise blossomed on his hand.

"Alright now, Kim. You need to focus," Ms. Marie said. "Imagine having that pain yourself. Imagine how it would feel."

"I think I got it," Kim said, screwing up her face with a slight shudder as she imagined the pain.

"I think you do too," Ms. Marie agreed. "Now, imagine that pain slipping away, as if it's chalk being washed away by the rain."

Kim's face was now screwed up in concentration. Ox thought she looked adorable like that. He barely noticed that the throbbing pain in his hand had begun to fade.

"I think I've got it," Kim said, her eyebrows screwed together.

"How does your hand feel, Ox?" Ms. Marie asked. She pushed two fingers down on the bruise experimentally.

"A lot better!" Ox exclaimed. "I still hurts, but no where near as much as it did earlier. Great job, Kim!"

"Yes, well done!" Ms. Marie agreed. "I think you can get rid of his bruise now."

"Alright," Kim said, quickly healing her boyfriend's hand. "That was really hard," she admitted.

"Yes, it is at first," Ms. Marie agreed. "It will get easier soon. You'll be able to take pain away from people with their legs blown off or their throat slashed open. You can even do it by sending your soul wavelength through a telephone wire to the other person. For now, though, you have to work small."

"I can't wait to try that later!" Kim said eagerly. Ox let out a small groan at the idea of getting beaten up again.

"The lesson is almost over," Ms. Marie said with a laugh. "I just have one more task for you."

"Really?" Ox asked. "And what is that?"

"I would like to see if you two can resonate," Ms. Marie said. "It's to see how well your souls work together."

Kim and Ox shared secretive looks, thinking about the phone call that they had received from Soul and Kid last night. Why were these teachers so interested in their ability to resonate with their mismatched partners?

"Alright! We'd be glad to," Ox said with a smile as he got up, helping Kim to her feet.

"We've been hanging out so long that we can resonate as well as you and Stein! Just watch!" Kim said, taking Ox's hand. Ms. Marie watched as Ox's and Kim's souls expanded. The first one with two spiked pillars on it quickly met with a lilac colored soul. They resonated for over five minutes before Kim called a stop.

"We don't have an outlet for out energy," Kim said. "Usually, I'd have Jackie and we'd use 'Wollantern' or Ox and Harvar would use Lightning King or something like that."

"Yeah," Ox agreed. "Now we'll be up all night with all this extra energy."

"That could be fun," Kim said with a coy smile.

"Anyway!" Ms. Marie practically shouted, interrupting the couple. They were shocked by the usually calm woman's outburst. "You two can go now!"

Kim and Ox hightailed it out of the classroom. Ms. Marie was acting almost unhinged. Her odd behavior seemed to be caused by the successful resonance.

That night, Kim and Ox called up Soul and Kid to tell them what had happened. That confirmed Kid's and Soul's theory that the teachers wanted the partners to be unable to resonate.

Now, they just needed to know why.

Hopefully they'd know soon, because their mission was now only 3 days away.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Yay!**

**It's a-moving along!**

**And I don't know what Kim's soul looks like, so I guessed.**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit**


	9. Chapter 9

**New Chapter!**

**Yay!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Hello, Killik, girls," Azusa greeted the trio with a smile and a flash of her glasses. "I think you know why you were placed with me, correct?"

"So I can work on my plan making, right?" Killik asked. Azusa nodded.

"He can use all the help he can get," Liz muttered, causing Patty to let out a string of giggles.

"You are right, girls," Azusa said, making them stop their laughter all together. "Lack of planning can get one killed."

"I always have plenty of time to plan before a mission," Killik pointed out.

"Yes, but when that plan goes wrong, and it is bound to at some point, you will need to be able to adapt and come up with an entirely new plan on the spot," Azusa said. "It is a skill that is beneficial for everyone."

Killik let out a loud sigh. All he wanted to do was plow forward with his fists. That's what always got him through in the past. He could see where Azusa was coming from, though. He was starting to find it harder and harder to complete complex missions by just running in blind with half a plan. He nodded, indicating for Azusa to continue.

"Here is a battlefield," Azusa said, gesturing to the chalkboard behind her. "You need to come up with the best course of action to take in order to ensure victory with the smallest number of casualties."

Killik nodded again and began to study the map, along with the key. It was a simple diagram, showing the target in the center of a valley with enemy squadrons in five different groups. This was against 4 groups of friendly soldiers. The key indicated that each of the groups were of even size but varying strength and weapon power. There was similar information on each of the enemy troops.

"You have ten minutes," Azusa said, standing in the back of the room to allow Killik to work. He and his two temporary partners were hunched over a sheet of paper, writing scrawling down ideas. Soon, the ten minutes were up. Azusa collected the sheet of paper and looked over it quickly. Killik and the Thompson sisters had come up with a very good plan. That was to be expected, given the amount of time that Azusa had provided them with.

"So, how'd we do?" Liz asked.

"Well, as expected," Azusa said. The students in front of her exchanged grins. Azusa walked up to the board and picked up a piece of chalk. "Now, let's say that the enemy now has air support," she said, drawing an indicating symbol, "and, let's say that this friendly squadron took out this enemy squadron, but now only has half the man power left. You have five minutes to come up with a new plan."

Killik, Liz, and Patty bent over a new sheet of paper. Killik was writing so fast that he snapped his pencil in half, forcing him to get a new one. Azusa collected the paper once the time was up, and was pleased to see another solid plan. She walked up to the board again, eraser and chalk in hand.

"Alright," she said, starting to draw on the board again. "Let's say that, instead of eliminating the enemy and capturing the target, you know have to get to the target without coming in contact with the enemy. You have 3 minutes to come up with a plan."

This time, Killik didn't even bother trying to write it down. He muttered with his partners. Half way through, Azusa interrupted him.

"Now enemy reinforcements have arrived and are now barricaded here, here, and here," she pointed at the board, tapping each spot for emphasis. "Now what are you going to do?"

Liz let out a groan as the trio had to rethink their entire plan. When time was up, they recited their plan to Azusa, who found several flaws in it, but not as many as she had expected.

"That was just a test to see how good you three are," Azusa said. "Now, I think that you can make a perfectly decent plan in 5 minutes. Next time, we will try on a smaller time frame with totally different situations, understood?"

"Yup!" Patty said with an odd giggle.

"Can we go now?" Liz asked with a stretch.

"Just a second," Azusa said. "You need to do one last thing for me." Killik stood up and Liz and Patty put their hands on his shoulders.

"You want to see us resonate," Killik said dully. Azusa just nodded suspiciously.

"You should know that we can resonate with Killik," Liz pointed out. "We've done it before." Their souls rapidly expanded, reaching full resonance easily. Azusa gave them a fake but convincing smile.

"Very good. I'm glad that you three can still resonate will," she praised. "You can leave now." Killik nodded and the three left the room quickly, catching a glimpse of Azusa turning to a mirror, no doubt to report to Lord Death. Killik sighed and turned to Liz and Patty.

"This is weird. Stein, Lord Death, and Spirit were happy with the others lack of resonance while Ms. Marie almost lost it when Ox and Kim resonated perfectly. Now, Azusa is perfectly fine with our resonance? What the heck is going on?" Killik muttered as they walked down the long hallways.

"I have no idea!" Patty giggled.

"What should we do about it, Killik?" Liz asked. Killik shook his head.

"We should just tell everyone else what's happening. We need to reconsider all of this when we meet up. Liz, go and tell Kim and Ox. Patty can tell Kid and Soul, and I'll tell Maka and Black Star," Killik said. Liz nodded and hurried off down a hallway. Patty gave Killik a mock salute before skipping into an empty classroom and jumping out a window. Killik just walked out the front door towards the steps, still wondering what exactly was happening.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**I hope you liked it!**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


	10. Chapter 10

**New Chapter!**

**Yay!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Tsubaki smiled down at the two children in front of her with uncertainty. They had little expressions of annoyance on their faces. They were already an hour into a lesson with Sid and Nygus, and Tsubaki was not living up to the aggressive standards of Killik.

"I just don't want to hurt them," Tsubaki said nervously.

"Tsubaki, you've seen Killik bring down buildings with them," Nygus said. "What makes you think that punching a sandbag will hurt them."

"Oh, I don't know," Tsubaki said. "They're just so little and fragile looking." Fire looked at Tsubaki with an enraged expression and then sat on the ground, his tiny arms crossed. Thunder knelt next to him and patted his shoulder.

"Let's try again," Sid said, knowing that this time wouldn't be any different than the last. Fire shook his head and pointed at Tsubaki. She looked at the little boy with confusion.

"What is it?" she asked. Fire just stood up and continued pointing, as if trying to get her to do something. She looked helplessly over to Nygus and Sid.

"I think he wants to show you how it's done," Sid said. Fire nodded, looking gratefully at the zombie man.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Tsubaki asked.

"I don't see why not," Nygus said. Tsubaki sighed and transformed into a chain scythe.

"Just be careful you two," Tsubaki warned as the twins each caught one of the small scythes. Fire lifted his above his head and ran at the sandbag, dragging Thunder along with him. He struck at the exterior of the bag with quite a lot of force, making the bag sway. He then began to hack away at the bottom of it. His sister just stood off to the side, looking at her brother, dumbfounded by his behavior.

"This is... a little strange," Nygus muttered to Sid as they watched Fire continue his assault. The bottom of the sandbag split open, releasing its contents everywhere. Fire and Thunder were swept back by the tidal wave of sand. Thunder just sat there, covered the fine mineral. Fire, on the other hand, jumped into a particularly tall mound of it, strewing it everywhere. It was quite disturbing.

"Maybe that was a bad idea," Tsubaki said, transforming back into her human form. Thunder held her arms up, and Tsubaki lifted her up, dusting off some sand. Fire continued to roll around.

"You think there's something wrong with him?" Sid whispered to Nygus.

"Just that he's a little boy who watches too much TV," Nygus whispered back. "Maybe Killik is too rough with them."

"Either way, that is one weird kid," Sid muttered. He cleared his throat. "Tsubaki? Maybe Fire has had a little too much stimulation today."

"I think you're right," Tsubaki said, kneeling next to Fire. The little boy jumped away from her, burying himself in the sand. Tsubaki sighed again.

"Alright. You three can go now," Nygus said with a smile, opening the door to let the trio out.

"Uh, okay," Tsubaki said, scooping Fire out of the sand and carrying him off. Thunder trotted after her.

"Bye now! Remember to try and have more confidence in your partners!" Sid said with a wave.

"Alright! I'll do my best!" Tsubaki said as she hustled down the hallway.

Once she got outside, she set Fire on the ground. He and Thunder skipped off, running around the court yard. Tsubaki watched them while deep in her own thoughts. According to the others, there should have been a testing of resonance between herself and the twins, so why didn't it happen? Tsubaki just shook her head. She had promised to get the twins ice cream after today's lesson, and they were not going to wait. They tugged on her hands, pulling her towards the stairs. Tsubaki knew that the twins favorite ice cream shop was just a few meters from the bottom steps. Killik had made sure to tell her that.

It was very sweet that he went out of his way to help her out with his tiny partners. It was almost as if he were a worried father. It was kinda cute seeing him like that. Tsubaki shook her head, getting rid of the soft blush that appeared on her face.

"Who wants ice cream?" Tsubaki asked in a sing-song voice. Thunder and Fire began jumping up and down with excitement. They ran to the steps and jumped onto the railing. They both went sliding down the steep metal bar, much to Tsubaki's horror.

"No! Wait, you two! You might get hurt!" Tsubaki shouted. The two just kept sliding. Tsubaki felt herself begin to panic. She jumped off the ledge of the school and bounced off the wall, getting her to the bottom of the stairs just in time to catch the two small weapons.

"Are you two crazy?" Tsubaki scolded as she set them down. The twins looked at one another, as if considering her question deeply. Fire shook his head before running off towards the ice-cream shop. Thunder pointed at Fire, as if declaring that he was the crazy one. Tsubaki just shook her head.

"Come on then, Thunder. Let's catch up with your brother," Tsubaki said, picking the little girl up. Fire came back and was skipping beside her as they headed closer to Ben & Death's Ice-Cream Shop.

* * *

**Chapter Done!**

**Yay!**


	11. Chapter 11

**New Chapter!**

**Yay!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Jackie sat at the table and sighed. She was at a library of all places with Harvar. Justin Law had told them to meet him there. She had gotten there an hour ago with Harvar, at the right time, but Justin hadn't shown up yet. The two weapons, after having a small and very quiet battle over a book, were now contently reading at the table, with Jackie occasionally shooting daggers at Harvar.

"There you two are!" Justin said loudly as he walked up to them and sat down. There was no need for him to be quiet, since the library was empty.

"What took you so long?" Jackie asked, making sure that she faced the death scythe while talking.

"I was setting up a little test for you," Justin said with a smile as he sat down. Harvar set his book down, giving Justin his full attention.

"What kind of test?" Harvar asked.

"Well, I need to see how well you two know each other," Justin said.

"Okay," Jackie said, looking a little confused.

"And I want to get to the root of your very obvious trust issues," Justin added with an honest smile.

"You mean her trust issues," Harvar said.

"Oh no. Both of you," Justin said with a smile. "It takes a lot to have as many issues with each other as you two do."

"That's offensive," Jackie muttered. Justin gave her an odd look, showing that he couldn't read her lips. She shook her head and Justin simply shrugged.

"I think the issues that you two share stem from a deep and secretive love for one another," Justin said casually. Harvar turned to Jackie very slowly and covered the side of his mouth with his hand, hiding it from Justin.

"He's insane," Harvar whispered. Jackie nodded. When Harvar faced front, Justin had a pissed look on his face.

"That's rude, you know," Justin said. "Your test has just been changed." Jackie glared at Harvar for a second.

"Can we just get it over with?" Harvar asked with a sigh. Justin smiled and pulled something up from under the table. It looked like a spray bottle.

Jackie frowned as a semi-familiar smell from chemistry class wafted up towards her nose. Before she could ask what it was, Justin sprayed it in Harvar's face, knocking him out almost instantly. Jackie didn't even have time to glance at the death scythe before she, too, was knocked out.

...

When Jackie regained consciousness, she screamed. She was suspended in the air from the highest balcony in the school and had a straight drop to the ground, more than three hundred feet below. Now, that kind of height would be scary for anyone, but Jackie had a severe terror of falling combined with a fear of heights.

"Good morning!" Justin said from the balcony next to her. "Just barely, actually. It's only 12:03." Jackie stared at him, taking a second to register the fact that she had been unconscious for five hours.

"Are you out of your damn mind? Is this your idea of trust building?" Jackie screamed at him.

"No. I'm just a little hurt by your behavior at the library earlier today, so I thought this would be fun," Justin said with a smile. "See? Lot's of fun. All this height and being suspended from a building. Exhilarating stuff."

"My behavior at the library was fine!" Jackie shouted. A breeze caused the rope to sway, making Jackie freeze again.

"Ah-ha! _You_ were the one afraid of heights, not Harvar!" Justin said, slapping himself on the forehead.

"Where is Harvar?" Jackie asked, feeling the sheer terror in her stomach quell itself just a little.

"Well, I woke him up before you and we had a nice chat. He was pretty mad about my idea of trust building exercises. He does not have your fear of heights, though, so he cut himself down, see?" Justin pointed next to Jackie, where some frayed and burnt rope hung.

"And he fell?" Jackie asked, wide-eyed.

"Yeah," Justin said, looking at the ground far beneath them. "Take a look." Jackie glanced down and immediately regretted it. She let out a small whimper and stared at her own arms instead, where the rope held her up.

"Can you please let me down?" Jackie asked, squeezing her eyes shut.

"No! Why, that'd defeat the purpose of this trust building exercise!" Justin exclaimed with an uncomfortable amount of enthusiasm. "You have to burn through the ropes and fall all the way to the ground!"

"Are you insane?" Jackie whispered. She could feel herself begin to shake.

"Of course not!" Justin said with a grin that suggested otherwise.

"Remind me how this builds trust?" Jackie asked.

"Well, maybe Harvar will be there to catch you. Maybe he's dead. Maybe he went home for a burrito of something, I don't know. It's your problem, not mine," Justin said. He turned around and walked away. "You can either fall and trust that he'll be there for you, or stay up here for the rest of the night." And with that, he was gone, leaving Jackie alone with only the moon to keep her company.

Now, Jackie would later say that she deliberated her next choice carefully. In reality, it happened even though she didn't want it to. In frightening situations, her body temperature would raise accordingly. Right now, in the face of her biggest fear, her temperature skyrocketed. She could smell the rope beginning to singe. It wasn't long before it burst into flames. The heat increase and sheer terror began to drain Jackie's energy until she was as limp as a rag doll. She knew that, at her height, it would take less than five seconds to hit the ground, and that scared her.

Then, almost unexpectedly, the rope snapped.

...

Justin watched from a window as Jackie fell past, only to be caught by Harvar right before she hit the ground. The burning ropes around her arms were quickly discarded. He could see her throw her arms around Harvar, crying, probably a result of the fear that had just left her.

"What kind of trust building activity is that?" Justin saw Jackie say as he walked towards her and Harvar.

"A great one, if you ask me!" Justin exclaimed.

"No, I have to agree with Jackie on this one. That was horrible," Harvar said.

"But she's over her fear now," Justin pointed out. "Right?" Jackie just shook her head.

"It's okay," Harvar said, trying to be as soothing as possible while fighting the urge to murder Justin.

"So it was a failure then," Justin said thoughtfully. He shrugged. "This is probably why I'm not a teacher."

"It's because you're insane," Jackie mumbled into Harvar's chest.

"What was that?" Justin asked. Harvar just glared at him. Justin just smiled. "We'll just have to try again tomorrow! Which means later today! I'll see you two at the library in ten hours!" With that, he walked into the school.

Harvar just watched him go, his face unreadable as he quietly pondered what the hell was wrong with Justin.

...

Justin stood in front of Lord Death with a sheet of paper in his hand. It had a series of questions written out in Lord Death's handwriting, with instructions to answer them out loud. Justin was on the last few questions.

"... No, they aren't dead. Yes, they did hug. Yes, it was adorable. No, not as adorable as the picture of Death the Kid when he was a baby. Why? Because that's impossible. And no, I do not believe that it is possible for the two of them to hold a steady resonance. Why do I feel that way? Because, they struggle even when they are in a group setting with their partners. It could be that they have trouble with one of the meisters, but I doubt it. And that is all," Justin finished up.

Lord Death nodded and waved his hand, dismissing the death scythe. After Justin was gone, Lord Death had time to lay out all the notes that Stein had given him.

It was about time that he started on the battle plan to eliminate the witch.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**I know Justin is pretty out of character. **

**Or is he?**

**Yay!**

**Hope you liked it!**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


End file.
